Improvement in draft apparatus for cars



S. GRIFFITH & S. PATTERSON.

Draft Apparatus for Cars.

N0. Patented July 29, I879.

N. PEYERS. PHOTO-LXTMDGRAPHE UNI'I'ED STATES PATENT Danica SAMUELGRIFFITH AND JOHN S. PATTERSON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.-

IMPROVEMENT lN DRAFT APPARATUS FOR CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,869, dated July 29,1879; application filed November 18, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL GRIFFITH and JOHN S. PATTERSON, both ofCincinnati, Hamilton county, and State of Ohio, have invented a new andImproved Draft Apparatus for Railroad-Oars; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, whichwill enable others skilled in the art to which our invention relates tomake and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an invertedplan view of a railroad-car frame, showing the application of ourimprovements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 showsthe ends of two car-frames coupled together and the position of thebuffers when the draw-bar is under draft. Fig. etshows a modification inthe construction of the draft-rod.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

In that class of railroad-carcouplings known as the hook-coupling orMiller coupling the draft-hooks are separately attached to opposite endsof each car by a spring-connection for the purpose of relieving the carfrom sudden jars and shocks in starting, and to hold adjoining hooksengaged when the couplings are under tension after the cars are fully inmotion.

Inasmuch as the hooks form draft-couplings only, separate buffers arerequired, which are generally located in the car-frame beneath thehooks, and are provided with springs, by which they are projected whenout of contact with each other on adjoining cars.

In coupling, the proximate hooks of separate cars engage each otherlaterally, and their buffers are brought in contact, so as to slightlycompress their springs. When the cars are at rest the draft-faces of thehooks are together and the buffers bear against each other; but whenthey are in motion the strain upon the hooks compresses their springs,particularly if the train is a heavy one, thereby lengthenin g thespaces between the cars and separating adjoining buffers beyond thelimits of their respective springs, so that they no longer form elasticbearings, by which the train is steadied. If, therefore, the cars arestopped or their speed slackened, the bufi'ers are brought in contactwitha force beyond the capacity of the springs to resist, therebysubjecting the cars to sudden and violent shocks.

The hooks perform no buffing action whatever, but slip along each otherwhen the buffers are in contact.

As the hooks of a car are disconnected from each other, the strain ofdraft tends to pull the car-timbers apart instead of pulling themtogether, as they ought properly to do.

Our invention has for its object to overcome these objections bycombining with the hookcouplings and separate buffers a continuousspring draw-bar, by which the strain of draft is applied at the rear endof each ear to throw its timbers into com n'ession, and to draw and holdthe bufiers of adjoining cars constantly against each other to steadythe train and take up the sudden shocks'and jars when the cars cometogether.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the carframe, of the usualconstruction, provided with the end bufferplatforms, B B, generallyeniployed with this class of couplings. D D are the bolsters, carryingcenter-pins, by which the car is connected to the trucks.

The frame is strengthened and the bolsters supported to sustain, as faras possible, an equal share of the draft strain by means of supplementalsills E E, secured to the under side of the center sills at each end ofthe car, and extending from the bolsters to a point near the front endof the buffer-platforms, and by blocks or abutments F F, interposedbetween the center sills outside of and bearing against the bolsters.

G G are the coupling-hooks, pivoted at their rear ends, between thesupplemental sills, to yokes H H, and extending forward under thebuffer-platforms, so that thehook portions shall project somewhat beyondthe same. They are held and guided in their movements by metal straps II bolted across the supplemental sills, while side springs, J J,attached to the sills,

bear with their free ends against the hooks laterally to hold themengaged upon adjoining ears.

K is the draft-bar, which may be made in' one piece, as shown in Figs.1, 2, and 3, or in two parts united at the center by a yoke and keys, L,as shown in Fig. 4, or by other suitable means. It extends through thebolsters and blocks F, between the center sills of the car-frame, buthaving no positive connection therewith, and its ends project into theyokes H of the coupling-hooks, from which they are prevented fromescaping by keys M, driven into them within the yokes, such keys alsoserving to sustain the draft strain. slide freely upon the rod, and asthey are out of line with the axes of the draft-hooks they are cast witha flange, O, at their lower outer corners, to which the hooks arepivoted. This connection admits of the position of the hooks under thebuffer-platforms, and at the same time permits the draft-rod to beplaced on a line above the hooks, so as to pass through the bolsters andblocks F.

P P are coiled springs mounted upon the ends of the draft-bar betweenthe yokes and blocks, for the purpose of transmitting the strain ofdraft to the car-frame.

Q Q are additional keys driven through the draft-rod immediately behindthe bolsters, for the purpose of preventing the rod from drawing out ofthe car-frame in case it should break between the bolsters; and It R arethe buffers, having their shanks or stems inserted in the ends of thebuffer-platforms, where they are surrounded by coiled springs S S, whichexert their tension to project the buffers outward. These springs bearagainst two cross-bars in the platforms, and the shanks are preventedfrom pulling out by keys T T driven through them behind one or the otherof the cross-bars.

When the coupling is in operation in a train of cars the draft strainsin each car are applied to their rear ends through the rear springs ofthe draft-bars and the blocks F, while the tractive force of the engineis applied to all the leading cars through the draw-bars. By

this means, instead of imparting tensile strain to the car-frames, theyare subjected to compressive strains only; but these strains resultmainly from the weight of the car and its load, because those cars of atrain between the en gine and last car are carried along by their Theyokes attached to a car, the continuous draw-bars pull the cars towardeach other, andconsequently draw the buffers of adjoining cars together,so that they shall constantly bear against each other with a yieldingpressure,

- and relieve the cars of sudden jars and shocks and steady the wholetrain when in motion.

For the purpose of employing the link-andpin coupling when thedraft-hooks are used with other cars having the link-coupling, thedraft-hooks are provided with recessed ends, vertical pin-holes V, inthe customary manner, and under such circumstances the springs of thedraft-rods perform the function of buflingsprings in addition to that ofdraft-sprin gs.

We do not claim, broadly, a spring draft-bar extending from end to endof a car; and neither do we claim, broadly, a pivoted spring draft-hookcapable of lateral movement, as

such features of themselves are not new.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is In combinationwith the structure of a car, a spring -impelled draft bar, K, extendingfrom end to end of the car, the yokes H, con nected with the draft-barat each end, and capable of a sliding movement thereon, the springs 1?,arranged in rear of the yokes, and draft-hooks G, pivoted to the frontends of the yokes H, and capable of lateral movements when coupling,being guided by suitable supports I, all substantially as herein shownand described, and for the object specified.

In testimony of which invention We hereunto set our hands this 1st dayof October, A. D. 1878.

SAMUEL GRIFFITH. JOHN S. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

L. M. HOSEA, E. A. ELLSWORTH.

